Draft-rigging for cars.



PATBNTED NOV. 21, 1905.

E. C. WASHBURN. 'DRAFT RIGGING FOR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.ze,19o5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.v

l E. o. WASHBURN. DRAFT RIGGING FUR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1905.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application led January 26. 1905. Serial No. 242,784.

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Be it known that I, EDWIN C. WASHBURN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDraft-Rigging for Cars and l do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to draft-rigging for c ars, and has for itsespecial object to provide a draft-rigging suitable for street-cars orcars of lighter draft than usually employed by railway systems.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in theclaims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a portion of a car and showing myimproved draftrigging applied thereto, some parts of said rigging beingsectioned on the line of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thedraftrigging removed from the car and some parts being broken away. Fig.3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line x3 :v3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section,illustrating a modified construction of the improved draft-rigging, andFig. 5 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

The numeral 1 indicates one of the floortimbers of the car-body, towhich in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 a fiangeddraft-bracket 2 is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured. Thisdraft-bracket 2 'at its outer end has vertically-spaced ears 3,

through which is passed a coupling-pin 4. Rigidly secured to the timber1, near its outer end, is a suitable rest-bracket or draft-bar support5, which may be of the usual construction, arranged to support thedraft-bar and to permit vertical and lateral movements thereof.

The numeral 6 indicates the draft-bar of the coupler, the coupler-headbeing broken away. The coupler-head may be of the Master Car-Builderstype or of any other form, so far as my present invention is concerned.At its inner end the draft-bar 6 is provided with a projecting bolt-likestem or draft-bar extension 7, the end of which is threaded and engagesa nut 8. As shown, the inner end of the bar 6 is bifurcated to receivethe flattened end of the s tem 7, and the said parts are rigidly unitedby heavy rivets 9.

The numeral 10 indicates a spring case or housing which forms onesection of the draftrigging and at its inner end is provided with aheavy lug 1l, that works between the lugs 3 of the draft-bracket 2 andis pivotally attached thereto by the coupling-pin 4. The upper portionof the housing 10 is semicylindrical; but the sides of the lower portionthereof extend vertically downward, so as to leave a large opening l2 inthe bottom of said housing, through which the draft-spring 13 may bepassed. The nut 8 on the draft-bar stem 7 is held against rotation, butis permitted a sliding movement longitudinally of the car, by a hub-likeextension 14, formed at one end of the casing 10 and loosely but quiteclosely fitting the said nut. On the stem 7 of the draft-bar is a pairof followers 15 and 16, the former of which normally engages the nut 8and the bearing formed by the adjacent end ofthe housing 10, and thelatter of which normally engages the bearing formed by the other end ofsaid housing and is provided with a sleeve like hub 16a, that projectsthrough said casing for engagement with the bearing-shoulder afforded bythe end of the draft-bar 6. The spring 13 surrounds the stem 7 and iscompressed between the followers 15 and 16.

With the construction described it is evident that under draft strainsthe nut 8, acting on the follower 15, will move the same away from itsbearing on the adjacent end of the housing 10 and will compress thespring 13 against the follower 16, which then becomes a fixed base ofreaction. The clearance between the coils of the spring 13 is preferablysuch that under a maximum compression strain the nut 8 will not be drawnout of its seat in the hub 14 of the housing 10. Under bumping strainsthe follower 16 moves away from the bearing afforded by the outer end ofthe housing 10 and compresses the spring 13, the follower 15 thenbecoming the fixed base of resistance to the spring. Inasmuch as the nut8 cannot rotate and inasmuch as the fiat lower surface of the draftbar 6rests upon a flat support, it is evident that there will be noaccidental or uninten- IOG IIO

' is possible to rotate the same, thereby vary- Iwith a flanged bracket10, which is adapted said nut and the draft-bar proper, a springcompressed between said followers, and a housing inclosing said springand followers, affording bases of reaction for said followers, andhaving a seat in which said nut is free for sliding movements, but isheld against rotation, substantially as described. y

2. ln a draft-rigging, the combination with a draft-bar 6 and a supportwith which the flat lower surface thereof normally engages, of a stem 7attached to said draft-bar, the nut S, engaging the end of said stem,the followers 15 and 16on said stem, the spring 13 between the saidfollowers, and the housing 10 embracing said spring and followers, andaffording bases of reaction for said followers, said housing having anopening 12 in its bottom, and having a recessed hub portion 14 in whichsaid nut 8 is free to slide but is held against rotation, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination with a draft-bar support 5, and a bracket 2, bothsecured to a carbody, of a draft-bar 6 having the rigidly-attached stem7, the nut 8 on the end of said stem, the followers 15 and 16 on saidstem, the latter having a hub 16L engageable with the end of saiddraft-bar, the spring 13 interposed between said followers, and thehousing 10 inclosing said spring and followers, and affording bases ofreaction for said followers, said housing having an opening 12 in itsbottom, and a recessed-hub portion 14 in which said nut is free vtoslide but is held against rotation, said hub having a projecting lug 11pivotally connected to said bracket 2, substantiallyT as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN C. WASHBURN.

itnesses:

H. D. KILGORE, R. C. MABEY.

the nut with respect to each other, and hence that they will maintainany relative adjustment in which they may be set. However, by lifting upthe draft-bar from its support it tional rotary movements ofthedraft-bar and I i l ing the position of the nut on the stem 7 and takingup any slack which may from time to time occur between the parts. ln theconstruction described the followers, the housing, and the springmaintain an axial alinement with the draft-bar and move therewith whenthe draft-bar is moved transversely of the car. By this arrangement,therefore, all draft and bumping strains are delivered to the spring 13and to the followers and housing on a line coincident with their commonaxes.

ln the modified construction illustrated in Figs. L1 and 5 the housing10 is cast integral to be directly bolted to the timbers or beams of thecar-body, and the lug 11 of said housing is dispensed with., Again, thestem 7 at its forward end instead of being rigidly secured to thedraft-bar 6 is pivoted thereto, and for this purpose is provided. with abifurcated head 7a, that embraces a reduced lug on the end of saiddraft-bar. A coupling-pin 11 pivotally connects the head 7 a to saiddraft-bar.

The draft-rigging above described is of small cost, is very strong anddurable, and is in all respects highly satisfactory for the purposes hadin view.

lt will of course be understood that the rigging descpibei is capable ofmodification within the scope of my invention as herein set forth andclaimed.

What l claim, and desire to secure by Lety ters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

. 1. ln a draft-rigging, the combination with a draft-bar and a stem orbolt applied thereto, l and having, at its projecting end, a nut, of apair of followers on said stem or bolt between 4 5

